Deep within the Shadows, Hanaq screamed and writhed as the venom pulsed through her soul, agony consuming her as she froze from the inside out.
"Not like this! Please!" She begged the uncaring, unfeeling darkness, furious and distressed about the betrayal of the sister she'drisked her own existence for.
She too, had been infuriated by the Pharaoh's doll managing to find the loophole in her sister's ruleset, but there were better times, better places to take that wrath out. Places that wouldn't have resulted in her own destruction.
If Ishizu had waited until they reached Hekigan, they could've torn the Pharaoh's friend group from her piece by painful piece, possibly starting with that boytoy of hers, before ripping her apart.
Now…
Now it was all over for her and everything she'd done, every time she'd gone out of her way to protect her sister and brothers meant nothing.
'Unless…'
She whimpered as suddenly all the pain stopped and warmth spread through her form.
'I can save you if you do a deal with me.'
She knew what the thing offering her help was. She knew she shouldn't answer it.
'Or…'
Suddenly every last drop of agony ripped through her and the bitter, biting, all consuming cold surged, chilling her to her very bones and making her scream.
She didn't want to die. Not here. Not now…
'I'll give you the power to overwhelm your traitorous sister and take everything you need to protect your brothers from her. I'll lend you the strength to destroy everything, including the Thief Queen and the vessel she flaunts before you. I'll give you the power to send the Pharaoh on to her just rewards and make her doll suffer as much as you have.'
It was tempting. So tempting.
'And I'll let you free your brothers. When I have what I want, I'll leave them alone. They'll be free to walk the world while I subjugate everyone else. All you have to do for me is gather the other Millennium Items up.'
That… didn't sound like anything she wouldn't have done anyway. Not if her brothers would have what she had fought for. What she was now dying for.
The only reason the Thief Queen still walked the earth was because she didn't have the power to overwhelm her. If she'd been strong enough, the Thief would've been dead months ago and she wouldn't need the Pharaoh. Either half of her.
'So is that a yes? Or no?'
'I will serve.'
At her submission, darkness slammed into her like a tidal wave and sank into her skin, drowning her and allowing her to breathe without pain for the first time in nearly twenty-four hours at the same time.
'Don't fight me and you'll have everything.' The demon promised as she let his power overwhelm her and everything she was, in exchange for the chance to get back at everyone who'd tried to destroy her. 'Including the little bastard who tried to escape his punishment. I can help you rip him to shreds.'
"Later." She breathed as she rose to her feet, reaching along the bonds her magic had previously created and able to see the Pharaoh's doll sitting up, "I may have lost my puppet due to my sister's stupidity, but he makes for one incredible spy. And when the time's right, I can have him bring the little Pharaoh to me. In the meantime…"
She smirked and focused inward, on the unbreakable bond between her and the one who had betrayed her, finding it easily..
"I have a body to reclaim."
The demon in the Ring was worryingly quiet as Kawai checked Yugi over and Anzu helped the girl sit up, but an absolutely exhausted Amane was too relieved to care. Instead, as she finally pushed herself off Shizuka, she noted that Kaiba was striding over to where the Duel Disks laid, and was scooping them up.
'The Runt is an idiot.' Ba-Khu-Ra's complaint made Amane let out a tired chuckle, turning attention to them. The thief took control to repeat her statement.
"You're an idiot, Runt."
Yugi shakily smiled and shrugged at the Thief's exasperated complaint. "The loophole worked didn't it?"
"You still died."
"Okay, yes, but I wouldn't have, if I hadn't ended up in the ocean, and hey, we both made it." Yugi squeezed Katsuya's hand weakly as Kawai sat back, thankful that Yugi seemed okay, but there was proper medical equipment on route.
"And, bonus, I'm not in pain anymore. I think the venom's gone."
Exhausted relief was clear on the faces of Yugi's friends as Ba-Khu-Ra stared at her. The only way that could happen was for the Shadow Game to end, which it shouldn't until they reached Hekigan, or if a player cheated, which she knew Yugi hadn't so it was impossible.
The only way it could've happened, was for Ishizu's final attack, the one that had so briefly killed her opponent, to have counted against her. It made sense, since the attack had been aimed at hurting Yugi, rather than changing the status of the duel at all.
And that meant, if Yugi was right, they were going to be short of a finalist for Battle City.
If so, it was one problem off her plate, and as far as Ba-Khu-Ra was concerned, Ishizu had gotten what she deserved. The Thief Queen had waited too long for the Puzzle to be solved to allow some jackass to come in and steal everything she'd worked for.
Losing Yugi now, when they were so close to finding out the truth and working toward getting her people the afterlife they deserved, was like going through the downfall of Egypt all over again and she wouldn't, no, couldn't allow that to happen.
Hiding her confusion and upset, she shrugged and shook her head. "You're far too like the Pharaoh. You're as bad as each other."
"I mean we learned it from yo-ugh." Yugi started to try and push herself to her feet, only to let out a groan and pass out halfway up.
Ba-Khu-Ra reached out as she started to fall, and caught her before she could hit the decking. She gently lowered the body to the floor and back into Anzu's arms and, though it took a moment, the Pharaoh escaped the Puzzle and took control.
"Just rest, Meisa." Anzu breathed, still recovering from feeling like everything had been ripped out from within her and only partly put back.
She tightened her grip when the Pharaoh started to try and rise, not wanting her friend to collapse again, "We have time."
The Pharaoh didn't want to waste the energy resisting and just leaned back into her grasp, relieved Kawai already knew about her. "How much?"
That was a good question. Ba-Khu-Ra grabbed the Duel Disks from Kaiba, so she and Katsuya could slip their Map Cards into their Duel Disks. That confirmed them as the seventh and eighth finalists respectively and let them know that they needed to be at Kaiba Corp in two hours.
Ba-Khu-Ra internally grimaced. They'd nearly missed the chance to make it to the quarter finals, and what was worse, they didn't have enough time to get any real rest and recover. The demon-influenced Ishizu was going to be at the top of her game after feeding off all the negative emotions the last duel had created, while Ba-Khu-Ra and the Pharaoh were running on fumes.
"You're not go…"
"Yugi!" When Kaiba's voice cut Kawai off, the Pharaoh forced herself to her feet, using Anzu's shoulder to push herself up on, refusing to look any weaker than she already did. "I expect you and your band of losers to be on time. I cancelled your friends' medical emergency call, but you have an appointment with the Hekigan medical team after your duel."
"I… what?" Confusion pulsed through the Pharaoh, mixed with concern at Katsuya's lack of usual snap back at the loser comment.
Behind her, Kawai let out an irritated hiss, having wanted to get the drowning victim properly checked over.
"You're a KC-sponsored Duelist. It wouldn't be good for my reputation if you died during the tournament due to complications from drowning." Kaiba let out a huff as Meisa's eyes widened, understanding this was his way of showing concern over what'd just happened. "So you have an appointment with KC medical. Make sure you're on time so you don't miss it. You need to be fit and well for our duel tomorrow."
He didn't give her a chance to respond. Instead, he stalked back towards the helicopter that he'd arrived in, leaving the Pharaoh and her friends to find their own way home.
"If we're going to be on time," Anzu sighed once he was out of sight, "We should head back so you lot can get dry."
"And I can give Yugi a check up at least." Kawai huffed, unamused with Kaiba for cancelling the ambulance.
"Can you get us back to the Game Shop?" Shizuka asked Ba-Khu-Ra, who hid a grimace as she fought with a migraine.
She reached for the Shadows to try, fully aware this was a bad idea and that she was risking blacking out again.
What she had left from Meisa's redistribution of power, allowed her to take the group, mother and all, back to the shop through the Shadows, but the action sent her staggering sideways, her world spinning, her mental and magical energies spent.
Meisa reached out to help her, but Honda was faster and sturdier. As Ba-Khu-Ra's eyes rolled back in her head and her knees buckled, he scooped the struggling Thief up and glanced at Grandpa.
"She can rest in my room." The elderly gamer allowed, "I can change the bedding later."
As Honda hurried in that direction, Sugoroku turned to the Pharaoh.
"Go take a nap, Meisa. You'll feel better for it."
"I need to get everyone's clothes to tumble dry." She shook her head, needing the rest but aware they only had a little time to prepare.
"I can do the tumble drying while you're asleep. Go rest."
The Pharaoh didn't fight it. They wouldn't need to leave the house for an hour and a half, and getting a little sleep now would make tonight more manageable. Instead, she headed for the basement, changed into clean, dry clothes and was just dropping her clothes in the laundry basket at the top of the stairs when Katsuya arrived to do the same, the sound of his mother shouting following him, though Meisa couldn't make out what she was saying.
She stared at him, still trying to decide how she felt right now, and he looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "Your Okaasan sounds unhappy."
"She's scared. She's new to this. She's seen you with Ginka, but near death and soul stealing?" He shook his head, pissed that his mother was threatening to move him halfway across the country."How's Yuge?"
"Sleeping. Trying to recover some strength for tonight. Your mother isn't allowed near her until she's calmed down." The Pharaoh stated coldly.
She understood that what had happened wasn't Katsuya's fault and that his mother wasn't being unreasonable, but she was barely able to suppress her anger. Nor could she easily squash the remnants of the fear that she'd felt when she'd been forced to watch, through Katsuya's eyes, as her twin, her bright, brave, stupid twin, faced down a God. Or the leftover absolute terror of connecting to an empty, lifeless vessel and knowing her twin hadn't survived the duel.
She would've destroyed herself if it'd been needed to bring her Imoto back, but thankfully it hadn't been needed and, now that her twin was alive again, she just wanted to rest.
She was so tired her bones ached and she knew Imoto was in similar condition. She'd taken more than she should from the power ripped from her friends to ensure her twin's survival, and equally distributed the rest, but that only balanced out the life energy spent, it helped the magical drain and ensured their continued life, it did nothing for the physical exhaustion or mental fatigue, meaning it would still take days of rest to fully recover.
Yet there was more to handle. Another duel to handle tonight, against an unknown foe, and then two more tomorrow. If they made it to the finals.
She just didn't have the energy left for social niceties. Especially when she felt horrible about the choice she'd made earlier in the duel. Even if her Imoto had stopped her.
"That's fair. When Yuge wakes, can you let her know, I need to talk to her?" Jonouchi asked, still not meeting her gaze.
"Not if you're breaking up with her, no." The Pharaoh snapped, too exhausted to watch her tone. "She can't take that in her condition."
"What? No! I mean…" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Okaasan wants me to, because of the magic shit, but Shizuka and I agree that's not fair. To me or either of you."
Meisa relaxed, having not been looking forward to dealing with the emotional fallout of her sister getting dumped after everything she'd put herself through today. "I should probably speak to your Okaasan before we leave."
"I'd wait till she's calmed down." Katsuya offered with a shrug. "She's… stubborn when she's upset."
"I know where you get it from, then." Meisa snickered, trying to lighten the mood and winning a small smile from her friend, "Should I wake Imoto? Or can it wait?"
"No, it can wait. I just wanted to apologise."
"It wasn't…"
"I know, but I nearly killed her, Mei. It got so close, the seal…" He trailed off, shuddering, warning Meisa that she shouldn't remind him that her twin's heart had stopped. "I just…"
"You need to see she's okay with your own eyes." The Pharaoh cut him off, understanding how badly he was thrown off by what had happened. "Just like the Imori incident."
"I mean she did it again, Mei. She nearly sacrificed herself again." He hissed, fear for his girlfriend making him sharper than he intended.
"She had a plan. She had one faster than I did." Meisa promised. "She didn't break that promise at least."
"She didn't break the one from Tokyo either." Katsuya shook his head, though relief was obvious. "Talking people down IS Yugi's way of fighting. This wasn't started by her, and she would've had this dealt with if the damn Tomb Keepers hadn't pissed Ishizu off."
"It'll help her to hear you say that. She feels awful about what happened to you and Shizuka."
"Pass this on for me?" He hugged Meisa tightly and the Pharaoh hugged back, just glad to still have him.
When he let go, he turned for the door, hesitating for a moment before, "And Mei?"
"Yes, Katsuya?" She paused at the top of the stairs to answer.
"Next time? If it comes down to Yuge or me? Do it."
She turned to stare at him and took in his slumped shoulders, balled hands and bowed head. "You certain?"
"Dead certain." His own gaze was sharp and determined as he turned back to look at her.
"Alright." Her own posture slumped, hoping it never came to it again. "But I'll miss you."
"Sorry."
With that he retreated upstairs, leaving her to head downstairs and get some sleep.
Ishizu could admit she'd been stupid in lashing out the way she had. It'd cost her; her magic, her slave and worse: It'd cost her, her sister.
As much as she'd feared Hanaq, as much as her sister was murderous, Hanaq had also been not only a part of her, but a part of her family.
And Ishizu's desire to lash out, to make Yugi hurt as much as she and her siblings had been hurt, was the reason she was gone.
If she'd held back, if she'd just listened to Yugi in the first place, rather than assumed the worst of her, then Hanaq would never have been at risk in the first place.
And the Seal would not be in the condition it was now.
She'd been so stupid.
So very very stupid.
Weakening Yugi? Hurting Yugi? KILLING Yugi?
It wasn't productive.
It wasn't 'making the Pharaoh stronger'.
It was putting her family in danger.
It was running the risk of destroying the world before they could truly claim the freedom they had been seeking for so long.
It was helping the demon.
Marik and Rishid would be waiting for her at Kaiba Corp and Ishizu didn't know how she was going to explain that she'd caused the heart of the Pharaoh's vessel to stop, but that Yugi's friends had gotten it started again.
Once they knew she was responsible for the Shadows seeping back into the world, they would never talk to her again.
Her shoulders sank.
She would deserve it. She'd been stupid. Stupid and dangerous. She could've gotten them killed…
Like she had Hanaq.
Her head snapped up as Shadows flooded her mind and soul and she dove into the corridor between her room and the one belonging to her Other Self to find Hanaq stepping from it, dripping in darkness.
"Ukhti?" Ishizu breathed, shocked at seeing her Other Self alive and well after what she'd done.
Amber eyes caught blue. And narrowed.
Ishizu yelped as Shadows swept across the corridor and slammed her against the wall, pinning her against it like she had pinned so many others. The darkness held fast, preventing her from moving as Hanaq came to stand before her, blade of the Millennium Rod drawn.
"Don't you dare call me sister." Hanaq hissed, holding the blade to Ishizu's throat. "The only reason you live is because I need something from you."
"I'm sor-agh!" Ishizu tried to apologise, but the Shadows constricted like a boa, crushing her painfully and cutting her off.
"Sorry isn't enough." Hanaq hissed, "Sorry wouldn't have brought me back. Sorry wouldn't have protected our brothers. Sorry is what the weak say when they know they no longer hold power. You're no longer fit to be the primary personality. You don't have the brains or strength to do things right. I have the power now. I have the strength to do what you couldn't. I'm taking over and I'm taking out the Thief Queen, before you get our brothers killed."
She placed a hand over Ishizu's heart.
"And once that's done, once our brothers can finally know peace? I'm going to tear the Pharaoh's doll to pieces and make the bitch watch, before I send her screaming into the afterlife."
"Hanaq, wait, you…AHHH!"
Ishizu screamed as Shadows stabbed their way into her, piercing limbs and lungs, impaling her heart and mind. She tried to pull away, to stop the pain, but she was unable to move and before long, unable to think, as Hanaq drew the Shadows back out of her, leaving gaping wounds in her soul. Ishizu's pain dulled blue eyes watched as the darkness carried a still beating, bleeding heart from her chest to Hanaq's hand but she couldn't even get enough strength together to whimper.
"With this, I take control of the Ba." Hanaq breathed, "I become you. You become nothing more than the shade I've been since the day I murdered our father in our defence. You become the disposable one."
With that, she devoured the heart.
Ishizu felt the moment her connection to their life energy snapped violently, but she was too weak to respond to it, bar a semi-feral whine.
"Remember, you did this to yourself." Hanaq's false sympathy was worse than the fury, as her form solidified and took on a more 'real' aspect, while Ishizu's outline blurred and her own spectral form grew semi-translucent. "I was willing to be your Shadow. I was willing to help you. But you betrayed me. And you would betray our brothers and that I cannot allow."
"H… Han…"
"Rest now. I will handle it from here. I don't need you anymore."
With a wave of her hand, the badly injured soul of Ishizu was tossed into her Soul Room and the door slammed shut behind her. Stone rose from the floor of the corridor, blocking the doorway and walling Ishizu in.
Leaving Hanaq as the only soul who could use the vessel.
"One down. Now for the Thief Queen, the Pharaoh and their dolls."
